BARNARDOS/HARBOURSIDE PROGRESSIVE DINNER - COHIBAR / ZAAFFRAN / CRINITIS / CYREN

Barnardos Australia is an organisation that probably needs little or no introduction in Australia.

They help stop child abuse.

It's a simple mission statement with a huge challenge behind it. (Click the link above - you'll be amazed at the diversity of their tasks).

Through support from the community they help an enormous number of kids.

This is pretty heavy stuff too - dealing with the kind of things we sometimes don't want to think actually happen, but sadly they do and we can't ignore it.


We heard about a case they had to deal with, to help 2 year old Max and his 4 year old sister Layla (names changed). They endured horrific treatment and serious injuries until rescued. Their wounds will heal but the scars, physical and emotional, will last forever. Read about it by clicking here.

If you want to donate and help stop child abuse - CLICK HERE!

The support Barnardos gets from corporates is also so important. On this evening we were at a function sponsored by Harbourside - the large shopping, dining and entertainment complex sitting right on the edge of picturesque Darling Harbour.

We were at a Progressive Dinner supported by Harbourside and some great restaurants and wineries, to help Barnardos Australia. Our food and drink extravaganza started at the Cohibar. This was our first visit here and the first thing you notice when you arrive is the view. It's spectacular and easy to imagine people dropping in here for a drink and just staying, gazing and sipping. As the sun sets the view is still just as impressive, looking across to the city and it's sparkling lights.

We started with some drinks, red wine in our case, and took in the view.

A short time later some great platters of cheese, fruit, olives and biscuits arrived. That first drink of the evening sometimes really isn't complete unless there's a snack with it. They just go together! In this case the nibbles were very tasty and even though there was plenty there they disappeared pretty steadily.

We then moved to our second stop, the tasty, award winning and diverse Indian restaurant Zaaffran.This place is well known for serving traditional Indian food with their own modern twist - and this night was certainly not going to be an exception. The food of chef Vikrant Kapoor was something we looked forward to finally tasting!

It also has those amazing Darling Harbour views too.

Entree time started and the goodies arrived. We each had a plate with tandoori grilled minted king prawns, smoked chicken tenderloin glazed with garlic, chilli and seeded mustard, crisp beetroot cakes and wheat puffs with spiced potatoes and a trio of sauces. These were seriously good. Sirs favourite was the wheat puff while Mlady said she loved the crisp beetroot cakes.










While we had our starters we also got to sample a variety of wines from Bunnamagoo Estate in Mudgee.

We actually love the Mudgee region and have been there several times. We've also been to Bunnamagoo too - they have the short film festival Mudfest there.

Their wines are great and we sipped on their 2014 Chardonnay and their 2011 Shiraz.

What's to say about Criniti's that hasn't already been said before. This place is an institution - and as a result it has spread it's footprint well beyond Darling Harbour. It's big, bustling and very Italian - as you'd expect.

And yes - they do have the views too - yet again - not that we ever tire of them to be honest. Looking back towards the city across the water by day is lovely, but by night it really is spectacular.


The presence of Burnbrae Wines from Mudgee was also a great opportunity to hear about their winery and taste their delicious drops. As we said before - we do love Mudgee. Burnbrae is another place we've previously visited - and will again return to!

Crinitis fed us and fed us. Boy was there a lot of food - and good food at that too! We had four different pastas - spaghetti con polpette (meatballs and cherry tomatoes), pennette romana (chicken, mushrooms and avocado), tortellini boscaiola (beef with cream and mushrooms) and porcini (mushroom) risotto. We loved it all but Mlady's favourite was the pennette. 

Then there were the pizzas! They were nicely displayed on raised stands down the centre of the table - and rapidly began disappearing onto plates and into mouths - like magic! We had the ferrara (vegetarian with eggplant, mushrooms, onion, capsicum etc), the calabrese (Italian sausage, olives, chilli), the padrino (chicken and avocado) and the suprema ( a supreme pizza with a lot of toppings). They do great pizza here and it's a heavily ordered dish - they even do a 1 metre, 2 metre and a massive and impressive 3 metre version too!

Our final port of call for the night was at the well known Cyren which sits right at the end of Harbourside and is often the first place you come across when arriving there.

It's a big place that somehow doesn't seem cavernous as they've broken their area up into different spaces very well. We've been here before - several times in fact - and it always delivers lovely food and a great experience.

Our dessert was nothing short of delicious. While we're not 100% sure what we had, it was a tart, beautifully presented with a smear of chocolate and fresh strawberries piled at the other end. The tart was rich and coated in powdered chocolate - very tasty. We sipped a few more wines and looked across the water towards the city lights - a great end to a great night!

We felt very honoured to be involved with this great event. Barnardo's has such a tough job to do - and they do it well. They've soldiered on for a long time because they believe in what they do. To Harbouside and the restaurants involved - Cohibar, Zaaffran, Crinitis and Cyren - thank you - you helped a great cause! To the wineries - Bunnamagoo and Burnbrae - thank you too! Finally to Barnardo's - keep up the good fight - you do something so worthwhile and admirable - we are in awe of you all!

 

 

A WEEKEND IN ...... PARKROYAL PARRAMATTA

A Weekend In ..... Parkroyal Parramatta
Parkroyal Hotel

30 Phillip St

Parramatta, Sydney

The weekend away in your own city is becoming popular. With this in mind we travelled the short distance to do this in the heart of Parramatta - at the Parkroyal which was refurbished in 2010. It's close to everything so it proved the prefect base!

Parkroyals have a signature lemongrass scent - and it's certainly nice! Here they have live entertainment each Friday and Saturday night in Bar 30 - and as it was a Saturday we planned to drop in there later. The $10 cocktails on Saturday nights don't hurt either and there's even bar food available too.

The hotel is big - with 196 rooms in one of Parramatta's highest buildings. It was full when we were there, as a wedding was being held in their function room and the Wanderers were playing at home that night as well!

Our room was simply lovely.

We were in a deluxe king room that was decorated in chocolate browns and it had magnificent views out over Parramatta.

We could see Parramatta Park in the distance - home of the Parramatta Eels and the Western Sydney Wanderers.

Of course not all the rooms are the same.

We got to see the different options available there and they all looked lovely.

There's plenty of different facilities there for guests too - a pool and outdoor area, their bar (Bar 30) and of course Table 30, their restaurant that peers out from the mezzanine level over the expansive foyer and into the bar area. 

Parramatta is in the middle of everything and has facilities to match this. We had arranged to pop over and visit the Riverside Complex where a short film festival called Young At Heart was playing.

Every lead actor was a senior citizen while most of the producers or directors were youngish.

All the films were great - we have a wealth of talent in Australia that we should be so proud of!

On our way back to the hotel after visiting Riverside we saw the Western Sydney Wanderers supporters marching to their home ground and singing loudly for their team.

It was a real sight to see - they looked and sounded great and there was no bad behaviour.

This is what sport and good support bases are all about - and how it should be all the time!

Table 30 sits upstairs in the prime position at the Parkroyal. Saturday night is seafood buffet night and it's a good one, so of course it's popular.

Boasting Sydney rock oysters, Australian tiger prawns, Balmain bugs and blue swimmer crabs we were keen to dig in - and did until we bulged.

Then we had more - the salads, the hot dishes and the very very large range of desserts.

The huge range of desserts here is something you have to see to believe. They seem to have just about every dessert you could imagine! You're spoiled for choice and we felt like we were kids in a candy store - and yes they did have lollies as well!

They also had a chef making crepes and other goodies - I grabbed a tasty grand marnier crepe with double cream, after going close to ordering an apple strudel.

Pistachio, Apricot and White Chocolate Cake

Chocolate tartlet with white chocolate mousse

After dinner we dropped into Bar 30 for a night cap. We'd been listening to the live music throughout dinner and it seemed like the perfect way to end the evening!

I had a port and Mlady had an Amaretto - one of her favourites!

We sat back and enjoyed the music and everything else just seemed to disappear around us.

Parramatta Park with storms raging!

Breakfast is also served in Table 30 and is again a lavish buffet.

We started with a great coffee - which is so important - then moved on to the huge range of choices available.

Mlady had plenty of fruit - as usual - and I even got inspired and started with muesli and yoghurt before moving on to the hot food.

Again a chef was on hand to cook a variety of goodies - including several versions of eggs and of course my favourite of eggs Benedict! These came on muffins with ham and soft poached eggs and a good dollop of hollandaise sauce. Yum.

I still saved room for some pancakes though - I have no willpower! Mlady was more controlled as always but still managed to devour plenty of food, juice and coffee!

The Parkroyal in Parramatta has a great seafood buffet that we didn't know about before our visit. It was clear though that its reputation had spread to plenty of other people!

We hadn't previously spent the weekend in Parramatta - with its restaurants, cafes, bars, sports stadiums, theatres and atmosphere - but we're very glad we had the opportunity to experience it this time!


Sir and Mlady were guests of the Parkroyal Parramatta for their stay and meals. A big thank you to Vicki who showed us around and to Josh for looking after us at dinner. Special thanks to Parkroyal Hotels and to Laura Heslop of 6DC (Six Degrees Creative) for arranging our visit.

FEAST (AT SHERATON ON THE PARK) - SYDNEY CBD

Feast (at Sheraton on the Park)
161 Elizabeth St
Sydney CBD

It's Feast by name and feast by nature here. This is a great seafood buffet - but it has so much more than just oceans of juicy fresh seafood. There's tender meats, tasty salads, delicious sushi, tangy dips, hot soups, crusty breads, steaming vegetables, plenty of cheeses and a huge assortment of very indulgent desserts to finish your meal.

The food is beautifully prepared and presented here. Executive Chef David Watson has insisted on smallish quantities that are constantly refreshed so its at peak freshness and never looks tired. We were watching them as they worked hard here at monitoring the food. This attention to detail shows through in all aspects of your experience here at Feast. The quality of the food is something else to note as well - fresh, fresh fresh.

The service here is also excellent. The Manager, Gaurang Gahoi runs a tight ship and even though its a large and busy place you aren't abandoned at Feast. For once we're going to let the pictures do the talking because with a buffet that's what it's all about!

We were also treated to a delicious chocolate tasting plate - and who doesn't like chocolate! It was so indulgently good too! 

Throw in a couple glasses of the lovely Penfolds Grandfather port, after a delicious Merlot with our meals, and you've got a perfect end to a wonderful dinner!

Executive Chef David Watson paused briefly to chat with us and it was extremely evident that he has such a passion for what he does here at Feast and an attention to quality and detail. Sheraton have put a lot of effort into Feast - decor, service, wine list (which was very good) and of course the quality, quantity and variety of food on offer with a world of flavours to suit every taste.



Feast is not just a good seafood buffet - it's a great one. You get so much variety and the food is so good. You won't forget your meal here in a hurry - for all the right reasons!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Sheraton. Thanks to David Watson and Gaurang Gahoi for their tame and attention to detail as well as Tammie for looking after us on the night so capably. Special thanks also to Jane Melde, Alexandra Walsh and the Marketing and PR Team at Sheraton on the Park who went above and beyond the call of duty to make our visit as smooth and memorable as possible.